Healthcare turnover is expensive. The cost of replacing a single physician can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars when you factor in recruitment, onboarding, lost revenue, and the strain on patient care. Most leaders know recruiting the right talent is critical, but fewer realize how much the relocation experience influences whether that talent actually stays.
If your benefits haven’t been updated in years, there’s a good chance it’s working against you.
The Hidden Link Between Relocation and Retention
When a healthcare professional relocates for a new role, they’re doing more than changing jobs. They’re uprooting their entire life—selling a home, moving a family, finding new schools, and establishing routines in an unfamiliar community. The way your organization supports that process sends a loud signal about how much you value them.
A poor relocation experience can erode goodwill before the first day on the job. If the move is stressful, confusing, or financially burdensome, new hires may question whether they made the right choice. That’s when the door to early turnover cracks open.
1. It’s One-Size-Fits-All
A relocation package designed for a single, mid-level hire won’t cut it for a physician with a family, a mortgage, and a house to sell in another state. Healthcare talent comes in many forms and your policy should too.
2. It’s Heavy on Reimbursement, Light on Support
If your approach is “submit receipts and we’ll pay you back,” you’re putting all the planning and coordination on the new hire’s shoulders. That’s a recipe for burnout before they’ve even started.
3. It Ignores the Family’s Transition
Relocation is a whole-household event. If your policy only focuses on getting the employee to their new city without considering how the move affects the rest of the family, you’re missing a major retention lever.
4. It’s Stuck in a Different Era
Markets change. Housing availability, moving costs, and candidate expectations are all different than they were even five years ago. If you’re still operating with outdated caps or inflexible benefits, you’re out of sync with today’s reality.
What a Retention-Driven Relocation Policy Looks Like
Tailored Benefits: Personalize benefits based on role, distance, and family needs. A specialist moving across town doesn’t need the same package as a surgeon relocating cross-country with a family of five.
Hands-On Coordination: Offer relocation support and/or concierge services that handle logistics, schedule movers, and anticipate hurdles. This frees your new hire to focus on preparing for their role.
Family Integration Without Overreach: Provide resources to help with housing, schools, and community connections so the entire household feels settled quickly.
Real-Time Flexibility: Build in the ability to adjust benefits when unexpected challenges arise, whether it’s a delayed closing, a moving company strike, or a sudden housing shortage.